Our Summer Home
01 March 2016 | Hancock Marina
As the sun started sinking over the horizon Monday evening the powerful west winds also started to settle. We had looked at the forecast and spoke with Chris Parker, who confirmed, these calming conditions would not last long.
The alarm went off at 0430 but we were already awake, listening. What we heard was nothing, not a single breath of wind. Coffee was made & the engine was checked and started at 0530.
We started to haul in the anchor and looking into the black water of the creek, it soon became obvious that the 30 minutes we estimated to clean the anchor chain may not be enough. It was half tide and CALYPSO must have been sitting just above the muddy bottom. Not just the chain but the nylon snubber lines were covered in thick, gooey mud!
Crank in a little chain then scrub, scrub, scrub, was how it went for 50' of chain until the anchor was on deck. Underway at 0609, Wendy then maneuvered us to within a boat length of the condominium docks at Spooner's Creek Marina and could not find deeper water. We later thought how unfortunate it is, because if the shoaling, to leave this favorite anchorage for the last time. What would have been worse is to have bought one of the $100k boat slips only to have it silted in.
At sunrise, 0635, the tide pulled us down the windless ICW towards The Port of Morehead City at 5.2 knots with minimum RPM's. This great boost wouldn't last long and as we passed under the High Rise Bridge we we fighting a current which would not let up until we entered the Neuse River, 20 miles ahead. Even as Yoda droned on it was one of those rare calm, quiet trips absent of both boats & birds.
We had asked dock master, Owen, for a slip were we could work on CALYPSO's bowsprit leak safely and at 1310 pulled into slip A-1. We will spend the rest of this week settling in, adjusting lines as the 20-30 knot winds return, renewing friendships, telling our story to the Hancock Yacht Club membership, and retrieving our land dinghy, a 1995 Jeep.
This upcoming Monday, the project starts!
Fair Winds & Quiet Anchorages,
Jeff & Wendy